1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exhaust gas purification system and a method for controlling a regeneration thereof using a filter which is called a diesel particulate filters (DPF: Diesel Particulate Filter: called a DPF hereinbelow) to collect particulate matters: (PM: particulate matters: called a PM hereinbelow) in an exhaust gas of a diesel engine.
2. Related Art
The exhaust volume control of the PM exhausted from a diesel engine, together with that of Nox, CO, HC, and the like, has been strengthened with the years and a technique for collecting the PM by the DPF in order to reduce the PM volume to be exhausted out has been developed.
For the DPF to directly collect the PM, there are a monolith honeycomb-shaped wall flow type filter made of ceramics, a fiber-shaped type filter having a fiber made of ceramics or metals. An exhaust gas purification device using these DPF is disposed on the way of an exhaust pipe of the engine to purify the exhaust gas generated in the engine.
In such DPF, however, a filter is clogging up during collecting the PM to cause a raise of an exhaust gas pressure (exhaust pressure), so that some methods and systems have been developed for the necessity of removing the PM from the DPF.
Among the methods and systems aforementioned, there are systems to burn and remove the PM by heating the filter by an electric heater or a burner and to reverse-clean the PM by ventilating air in the reverse direction. However, since the PM is burned by a heating energy supplied from exterior, in such systems there are problems to cause a deterioration of fuel efficiency and a difficulty of controlling the regeneration.
Furthermore if these systems are applied, two systems of exhaust passages equipped with a filter are acquired and there are many cases to repeat the collection of the PM and the regeneration of the filter alternately, so that the system tends to becomes large and be expensive.
To overcome these problems, as illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a continuous regeneration type DPF system is proposed to combine a catalyst with a wall flow type filter in order to reduce the regeneration temperature of the DPF and to regenerate the DPF by using an exhaust heat from the engine.
The wall flow type filter 10 includes a plurality of exhaust gas passages (cells) 11a, 11b of which a periphery is formed with a porous wall surface 12, and an inlet side 15 and an outlet side 16 of the exhaust gas passages 11a, 11b are respectively formed to seal in a staggered way 13.
In a continuous regeneration type DPF system, the regeneration of the DPF and the collection of the PM are practiced continuously to become a further compact single system, so that the control of the regeneration may be also simple.
In FIG. 5, a continuous regeneration type DPF system (NO2 regeneration type DPF system) 1A by nitrogen dioxide comprises an oxidation catalyst 3Aa in the upper flow side and a wall flow type filter 3Ab in the lower flow side. Nitrogen monoxide in the exhaust gas is oxidized by an oxidation catalyst 3Aa such as platinum in the upper flow side, the PM collected in the filter 3Ab in the lower flow side is oxidized by generated nitrogen dioxide into carbon dioxide and the PM is removed.
As compared with the oxidation of the PM by oxide, the oxidation of the PM by nitrogen dioxide is practiced in a low temperature due to low energy barrier. Therefore since the energy supply from exterior can be reduced, by using heat energy in the exhaust gas, the filter regeneration can be achieved by oxidizing to remove the PM while collecting the PM continuously.
Furthermore in FIG. 6, a continuous regeneration type DPF system (an integrated type NO2 regeneration DPF system) 1B which the system 1A illustrated by FIG. 5 is improved is shown. In the system 1B. The oxidation catalyst 32A is coated on a wall surface of a wall flow type filter 3B equipped with the catalyst and on the wall surface, nitrogen monoxide in the exhaust gas is oxidized and the PM is oxidized by nitrogen dioxide. The system can be made simple by this structure. In order to coat the catalyst on the wall surface of the wall flow filter, however, a earlier pressure damage of the early filter tends to be increased.
Moreover in a continuous regeneration type DPF system 1C (DPF system equipped with the PM oxidation catalyst) illustrated by FIG. 7, a rare metal oxidation catalyst 32A such as platinum and a PM oxidation catalyst 32B are coated on the wall surface of the wall flow type filter 3C equipped with the PM oxidation catalyst in order to achieve the oxidation of the PM on the wall surface by the lower temperature.
The PM oxidation catalyst 32B is a catalyst to directly oxidize the PM by an oxide in the exhaust gas and is made of cerium dioxide.
Moreover for the continuous regeneration type DPF system 1C, in a low temperature oxidation area (about 350xc2x0 C. to 450xc2x0 C.), the PM is oxidized by nitrogen dioxide in using a reaction of oxidizing nitrogen monoxide of the oxidation catalyst 32A into nitrogen dioxide. Furthermore in a medium temperature oxidation area (about 400xc2x0 C. to 600xc2x0 C.), the PM is oxidized in using a reaction of directly oxidizing the PM by activating oxide in the exhaust gas with the PM oxidation catalyst 32B. Then in a higher temperature oxidation area (600xc2x0 C. or more) than the temperature in which the PM is burned by oxide in the exhaust gas, the PM is oxidized by oxide in the exhaust gas.
In continuous regeneration type DPF system, by using the catalyst and the oxidation of the PM by nitrogen dioxide, the temperature capable of oxidizing the PM is lowered and the PM is oxidized and removed while collecting the PM.
In these continuous regeneration type DPF systems, however, it is also necessary to raise the exhaust gas temperature to be about 350xc2x0 C. Therefore under an operation condition of the engine such as an idling or a low load, due to lack of the exhaust gas temperature, the temperature of the catalyst lowers and the activation thereof is deteriorated, thus the necessary reaction described hereinbefore is not caused, and the DPF cannot be regenerated by oxidizing the PM.
Therefore if such operating manner is continued, the DPF cannot be regenerated as it is, the DPF clogs up due to the accumulation of the PM, the system results in problems that the exhaust pressure raises and the deterioration of fuel efficiency or the like is caused.
Therefore in the continuous regeneration type DPF system, an accumulation volume of the PM accumulated on the DPF is calculated from the engine operation condition, the control operation of regenerating the DPF is practiced in comparison with the predetermined DPF regeneration condition set from the relation of the PM accumulation volume and the DPF pressure drop, and the accumulated PM is burned to remove.
Under the condition of the engine operation such as the idling condition with a low exhaust gas temperature and the low load, the filter regeneration is so controlled by using an electronic control type fuel injection system such as a common rail that the exhaust temperature is raised by an injection time delay, by a multiple injection and the like, or for an oxidation catalyst in the former step of the DPF, the fuel is supplied by a post injection and by an injection within an exhaust pipe and burned to raise the exhaust gas temperature more than the PM reburning temperature.
In the regeneration control of such DPF, however, at the time of starting the PM reburning in a medium engine speed area where the exhaust gas is comparatively much exhausted, in the early step of burning PM, if the engine speed is rapidly changed to the operating condition of the low flow rate of the exhaust gas such as the idling, the exhaust gas flow rate which brings out the heat caused by oxidation of the PM in the DPF is reduced. Then a heat quantity brought out of the DPF exhaust gas is also reduced.
Therefore an interior of the DPF is heated to a high temperature. The rise of the temperature causes following problems; since the temperature of the DPF exceeds the temperature of melting a honeycomb material, the DPF is melted and damaged. Furthermore a clack is caused in the honeycomb material by a heat distortion due to the high temperature, and the DPF is destroyed. Furthermore due to the high temperature exceeding the durability of the catalyst, the catalyst is unusually deteriorated.
Moreover in case of the regeneration control of the DPF under the operation condition of less exhaust gas volume such as the idle operation, since the heat caused by burning the PM cannot be brought out of the DPF by the exhaust gas and the DPF interior becomes a high temperature, the DPF is damaged from melting and the deterioration of the catalyst is caused.
Thereby if the regeneration of the DPF is not controlled in the case of a continuous idle operation of the engine, the system results in problems that the accumulation of the PM on the DPF is increased to raise the exhaust pressure and the fuel efficiency is deteriorated to cause the engine trouble.
FIG. 8 illustrates a temperature distribution of the DPF interior side in case that the idle operation is started and the exhaust gas flow rate is rapidly reduced during burning the PM for the DPF regeneration. It is known from this figure that the near of the DPF rear end in central portion becomes unusually high temperature.
The present invention is proposed to overcome disadvantages of conventional arts which are described hereinbefore and the object of the present invention is to provide an exhaust gas purification system and a method for controlling a regeneration thereof capable of keeping an adequate exhaust gas flow rate, of avoiding a rise of the temperature in the DPF due to a reduction of exhaust gas flow rate and of preventing a damage of the DPF from melting and a deterioration of the catalyst during the DPF regeneration control operation in the idle operation of the engine also.
To achieve the above-described object of the invention, the exhaust gas purification system and a method for controlling regeneration thereof are comprised as follows;
an exhaust gas purification system includes a diesel particulate filter (DPF) to purify particulate matters (PM) in an exhaust gas of a diesel engine; further includes a regeneration control device to judge a condition of an engine operation to be an idle operation or not at the time of starting the regeneration control operation for regenerating the diesel particulate filter and during the regeneration control operation, when the engine operation is judged to be an idle operation, an idle engine speed is controlled and raised to the predetermined engine speed.
Furthermore in the exhaust gas purification system, the regeneration control device is set the predetermined engine speed corresponding to the accumulation volume of the particulate matters accumulated in the diesel particulate filter.
Furthermore in the exhaust gas purification system, the diesel particulate filter comprises a wall flow type filter having a large number of exhaust gas passages each comprising a porous peripheral wall and having an inlet opening and an outlet opening each of which is partly sealed or opened in a hound""s-tooth check arrangement.
For the wall flow type filter, there is a monolith honeycomb-shaped filter made of ceramics.
Furthermore for the DPF collecting the PM, other than a wall flow type filter, a fiber-shaped type filter having a fiber made of ceramics or metals can be used and there is a case to make these DPF equipped with an oxidation catalyst and the PM oxidation catalyst.
A method for controlling a regeneration of an exhaust gas purification system is comprised as follows;
The method for controlling the regeneration of the exhaust gas purification system is a regeneration control method in the exhaust gas purification system including a diesel particulate filter to purify particulate matters in an exhaust gas of a diesel engine and is comprised that a condition of an engine operation is judged to be an idle operation or not at the time of starting the regeneration control operation for regenerating the diesel particulate filter and during the regeneration control operation, when the engine operation is judged to be an idle operation, an idle engine speed is controlled and raised to the predetermined engine speed.
In the method for controlling a regeneration of an exhaust gas purification system, the predetermined engine speed is set corresponding to the accumulation volume of the particulate matters accumulated in the diesel particulate filter.
According to such structures, in the regeneration control operation of the DPF, if the engine operating condition is shifted to the idle operation that the exhaust gas flow rate is rapidly reduced and for the necessity of the DPF regeneration control operation in the idle operation such as low volume of the exhaust gas flow rate, since the idling condition speed is raised corresponding to the PM accumulate volume, the heat caused by an oxidation of the PM can be exhausted out of the DPF. Therefore a damage of the DPF from melting and the deterioration of the catalyst due to an occurrence of a partial high temperature can be prevented.
Moreover under the condition of low exhaust gas flow rate such as the idle operation, since the regeneration of the DPF can be controlled, the raise of the exhaust pressure due to an increase of the PM accumulation volume, the deterioration of the fuel efficiency caused by the raise of the exhaust pressure and the engine trouble can be prevented. Furthermore corresponding to the volume of accumulated PM on the DPF, the idle engine speed is raised, and the volume of raising the idle engine speed can be minimized to restrict the deterioration of the fuel efficiency.
Therefore the exhaust gas purification system of the present invention can be achieved with low cost and has a high reliability.